Mental Health Awareness

May 8, 2021

PARTS 1, 2, and 3 of this series are Below.

Growing up with Tourette Syndrome taught me a few things about managing my mental health. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and May 15-June 15 is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month, I have decided to do a four-part video series about how to increase your resilience.

Years ago, when I began speaking on growing up and living with Tourette Syndrome, I quickly learned that many people in my audiences were dealing with “overwhelming” challenges of their own. By sharing my struggles, it helped me overcome my feelings of embarrassment (from the tics I suffered from) and gave me a connection with everyone in the room that had never been there before.

Due to the situations that Covid has created for many people - quarantine, loneliness, depression, inability to work, anxiety, and more - it has become clear to me that mental health issues need to be normalized. No one should ever feel shame for struggling with a mental health issue.

I honestly believe that we just need to talk about it more. It needs to be out there for the world to see. Those of us who deal with mental health issues need to plant both of our feet firmly in the ground, plant our flag, and proudly take a stand for who we are. Only when more of us make it a part of everyday conversation will the stigma begin to vanish.

So here you go. This is me talking about living with Tourette Syndrome and sharing some of the tools that I learned on how to increase your/my resilience. God bless you.

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YES, JASON! PLEASE SEND ME THREE SHORT VIDEOS THAT WILL HELP ME STRENGTHEN MY RESILIENCY AND BETTER DEAL WITH THE OBSTACLES OF LIFE.

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Munich, Germany

April 19, 2021

Introduction - I’m hoping that international travel will become much easier in the near future. Until then, I’m sharing some wonderful memories of overseas adventures. This one is from 2016.

Recommended Things to Do:

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site – While this isn’t a fun place to visit, it should be a required place to visit in order to learn how the Nazi party came to power, how they silenced, tortured, and killed their critics, and to understand why they had to be wiped off the face of the earth.

Architectural Sight Seeing – Munich is full of amazing architecture and you can easily spend a day marveling at the beautiful buildings.

Hofbrauhaus – As much travelling as I do, I had never experienced a restaurant/bar/brewery quite like the Hofbrauhaus. You’ll get a authentic taste of Bavaria in the food, the beer, (the servers) and the general attitude. Don’t hesitate to cut loose a little bit, everyone else is!

My Adventure – We left Ramstein AFB early in the morning and arrived at the Edelweiss Lodge and Resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany later that day. Garmisch is a beautiful little German village with breathtaking views of the Alps.

After Kevin and I checked in to our rooms we walked to the hotel ballroom where we would be performing our show later that evening for a conference that was occurring at the resort and for all of the local townspeople.

That night Kevin and I enjoyed entertaining a fun group of all ages. We had both kids and adults, and everyone had a blast. And while every show is a genuine pleasure for me to perform, my favorite part of that show was the time after the show that my entire team (performers and production team) spent sitting next to the bus staring into the night sky as we partook in cigars, libations, and laughter.

We had several options for what we should do the next day, a day that we had off. Quite a few folks had told us we should go to the nearby mountain and enjoy the view from the top. But since we were only about an hour and a half from Munich by train we opted for the big city.

As we were discussing what we should do in Munich, Bart and Kevin were in agreement that we should visit the Dachau Concentration Camp. And being a student of history, I concurred.

Once we decided where we were going we had a bit of an adventure getting there. We took a train to Munich, then we took a subway to a specific part of Munich, then we took a city bus to the concentration camp.

As we arrived at the camp and started to begin our tour, the rain did, in fact, arrive. The three of us stood under a shelter which, basically, was the front gate. After coming all that way, we weren’t about to let a downpour stop us. So, we hustled to the inside area where the exhibits were and spent about two hours reading about the history of Germany pre-World War II, how Hitler came to power, and all about Dachau – which was the concentration camp that all the other concentration camps were modeled after.

It was absolutely fascinating learning the history of this place and of Germany. The three of us, on more than one occasion, looked at each other and wondered aloud how such a thing was possible. The facts are mind-numbing and the simple fact that such horrible things happened less than 80 years is hard to stomach. Even though I knew that my grandfather fought in World War II, it is hard to wrap my head around such a thing. The atrocities that occurred there must never be allowed to occur again.

After about three hours at Dachau, we found our way back to Munich and had ourselves a good look around. Much like London, a personal highlight for me was seeing all of the incredible architecture. I’ve never been a student of architecture, but this trip really opened my eyes to its beauty.

After a very full day it was time to find the Hofbrauhaus. This was the place where everyone told us to find to eat and have a German beer. And Bart explained to me that one of the things he enjoys most when travelling to different parts of the world is to sample the food and drink. Since I’m a bit of a foodie, and certainly the adventurous type, I was more than happy to search until we found it.

The Hofbrauhaus is absolutely huge. Cavernous would be a good way to describe it. And the place was packed. When we finally found a table in the very back area we were greeted by a waitress dressed in a traditional German dress who took very good care of us.

I opted for the “Roast Pork with Crackling” with gravy and potato dumpling, and a German beer. The meal and the atmosphere were outstanding. The Hofbrauhaus definitely lived up to all the hype.

After a full day of touring the camp and walking around Munich, the dinner and brew did me in. Bart wanted to keep exploring, but I was toast, so Kevin, Bart, and I headed back to the Resort and back to our regularly scheduled programming.

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Virtual Magic Show - Cups and Balls Magic

February 13, 2021

In 2004 I set out to create a piece of magic that I could take to magic competitions and, hopefully, start to build a reputation with. The result was this piece of magic. I’ve had the pleasure of sharing this routine with audiences all over the world and it is always one of the ones that people comment on after the show.

The routine has changed over the years. In fact, I completely retired it several years ago, thinking I would never perform it again. But it is too much fun to put away forever. It really is one of my signature pieces. This is the latest version (2021) of my Shakespearean Cups and Balls routine and this recording was made as part of a virtual magic show. I hope it makes you smile.

I would love to know what you think of it. Please leave a comment below.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR virtual EVENT.

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London, England

January 8, 2021

Introduction - There isn’t any international travel happening at the moment so it’s the perfect time to revisit some wonderful memories of overseas adventures. This one is from 2016.

My Adventure - We touched down at Heathrow Airport and proceeded to grab our luggage and meet our tour bus. This was my first experience having my very own tour bus. Since we had to drive anywhere from 2 to 8 hours between shows it was far easier to do a European tour on a tour bus than any other way. Unfortunately the only time we spent in London that day was our bus driving us out of it to the first English city on our trip.

I was a little worried that our very busy schedule was going to keep us traveling every day with no time to visit London before we left Great Britain. As we spoke to our production team and reviewed our tour schedule we realized that we were, in fact, going to have a full day to visit London and do some sightseeing.

Several days later we left Alconbury on our day off and took the train to London. Woohoo!

Fellow traveler and video production guy Bart had contacted his cousin who lives in England and he found out that she was going to be in London the same day that we were. So, our first stop was to meet Bart’s cousin at the Prince Albert Memorial and Park.

After the initial pleasantries and some time for them to visit, Bart’s cousin and her family had an appointment to keep at a nearby museum, and we were on our way.

When we were planning what we should do while in London all the locals we spoke to had plenty of opinions on what would be fun. We finally decided on a “hop-on/hop-off” tour on the many buses that travel all over the metropolis of London. And while I don’t have any idea of what we may have missed, the hop-on/hop-off tour was brilliant! (as they would say in England)

Keeping in mind that we did get on and off the tour buses several times at different parts of the city to see things that interested us, it took us all day on those buses to see the entire city. Because we were there in April, the later it got in the day the colder we got. As the sun started to set, we started to freeze our tails off.

Since we spent the day as tourists we really just did touristy things. Personally, I love history and learning about all of the things that happened in the different parts of London was a blast. I mentioned to Kevin and Bart that I would love to spend about a month in London just being a tourist and taking it all in.

Since the United States is such a young country we just don’t have the history that a place like Great Britain does. I constantly found my mouth hanging open as I looked at the incredible architecture. Personal highlights included the Tower Palace, the Tower Bridge, and Buckingham Palace.

I think I’ll let that pictures tell the rest of the story…

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Virtual Magic Show - A Perfect Escape from the Pandemic

December 26, 2020

The Virtual Magic Show has proven itself to be a perfect escape from the pandemic. While COVID has wrecked havoc on traditional in-person entertainment offerings, it has opened up new opportunities for forward-thinking entertainers to provide laughter and fun to their audiences. The Virtual Magic Show is an excellent example of that. This is why…

Why a Virtual Magic show is So Effective:

Magic is incredibly versatile. The different styles of magic (sleight-of-hand, illusion, mentalism) offer a variety of ways for a magician to connect with his/her audience.

Magic translates through the screen. At the beginning of the pandemic magicians scrambled for unique ways to connect with their audience in ways never attempted before. The result - we found that entertaining audiences on Zoom was a brand new and fun way to create a magical experience…and that it works!

Magic is timeless. No matter how technologically advanced we get, magicians are masters of surprise and amazement - audiences NEVER get tired of that.

Companies are still planning meetings, virtual cocktail parties, awards ceremonies, holiday parties, and more. A virtual magic show spices up an event and provides a fun diversion in an otherwise busy day of serious programming. Besides, it’s fun to turn the “Grinch” of the office - the one who didn’t think it would work - into a believer!

Theaters need a way to reach their subscribers and have relevant programming. Since most theaters are not able to produce in-person shows, partnering with a magician who understands the virtual arena can be a very successful union.

Colleges still need to build community with their students. With unique virtual programming they can entertain, educate, and build rapport & camaraderie in their student body.

Associations are holding fundraisers, virtual meetings, and conferences. While the pandemic put everything on hold initially, pretty soon people pivoted to online, virtual events. Associations need great speakers, emcee’s, and entertainment to have successful events. Some magicians are excellent speakers, masters of ceremonies, and more.

Churches are hosting events to connect their followers and celebrate holidays & other special occasions. Virtual Magic Shows have proven to be a fun way to engage families and youth audiences.

Families are keeping in touch with each other for special events. Just because the world is in the middle of a pandemic doesn’t mean that people are going to stop celebrating birthdays, thanksgiving, and more. Magic shows through Zoom are a way for families who are in different parts of the world to gather online, visit, laugh together, and enjoy seeing each other.

The bottom line is this…finding a virtual magic show/magician that understands who you are and what you are trying to accomplish with your event is the key. Take a good hard look at the promotional material and the performance clips, and then don’t hesitate to request a Zoom meeting with the artist in order to get your questions answered.

For more information on my virtual magic show, click here.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR EVENT.

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Virtual Magic - Thread of Life

December 8, 2020

When I started designing my virtual magic show I knew that I wanted to have a piece of magic in it that spoke directly to the needs of people suffering through the pandemic. While most of my show is comprised of jaw-dropping sleight-of-hand and interactive magic, this beautiful piece of magic is poignant and inspiring.

I hope you enjoy it.

-J.

P.s. - For more information on my virtual magic show, click here.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR EVENT.

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48 Hours in Kosovo

December 2, 2020

Introduction - Since the COVID-19 pandemic has stopped virtually all international travel, I’m remembering and reporting on some wonderful memories of trips and adventures I’ve taken over the years. This one is from 2016.

My Adventure - Well, there’s no feeling like flying and living in airports for a little over twenty-four hours until you get to your destination. And as much as I enjoy the adventures this lifestyle affords me, non-stop travel with no breaks to actually let down and chill is definitely not one of the best parts.

With that said, I had some excellent travel partners – Kevin and Bart – to enjoy this adventure with.

We landed at the Pristina Airport and proceeded to travel another hour by van to our destination. Look, I’ll be honest with you…I wouldn’t have picked Kosovo for a vacation spot. In fact, if I hadn’t been performing my show there the following night, I would have never circled this place on the map. But that is part of the fun, isn’t it?

Fortunately, when we arrived we had the day to relax and get acclimated to a completely different time zone. This was our first stop on an eleven city tour of Europe. Kevin and Bart crashed hard and I spent the day noodling around our surroundings because I was so excited about getting this thing kicked off.

The next day our host showed us around the base and then took us to one of his favorite spots for lunch. Kevin, Bart, and I spent several hours walking around the city and then we had a great steak at a very nice restaurant.

Part of the fun of performing a show on a military base is getting to experience a tiny flavor of what it is like to live that lifestyle. We definitely got a kick out of all the activities that were planned for us that day!

Our show that evening was great. We had a spirited audience who was ready to have fun and we gave them a monster of a show. Since we were in the middle of nowhere our setup was a little more modest than all of the other stops on our tour. My sleight of hand got great reactions, and Kevin’s insane mental feats drew gasps and left people wondering how such mysteries are possible.

As is normal for show business we went to bed late that night and had to wake up less than four hours later to drive back to the airport and head to our next destination. I’m just glad to still be alive to type these words. Our driver decided he wanted to audition for the Indianapolis 500 that morning. I’m pretty sure he set a land speed record for the little rickety van that we were in.

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3 Reasons a Virtual Magic Show is Perfect for Corporate Groups

November 20, 2020

Virtual Magic Shows are a new, and surprisingly, exciting service that magicians started offering corporate groups shortly after the COVID pandemic shut down all live events.

If I’m being honest, at first I didn’t think that a virtual magic show delivered via Zoom would work. I’m quite thrilled, though, to admit that I was wrong! Very wrong.

Virtual magic shows on Zoom have proven to be excellent and popular entertainment for corporate groups, college and university groups, for virtual cocktail parties, birthday parties, and as a ticketed public event.

Here is why…

UNIQUE - Corporate groups, associations groups - even family celebrations - are meeting on Zoom and similar platforms. Because of that, we’ve learned that there is such a thing as “Zoom fatigue.” It happens when too many hours are spent in Zoom meetings with speakers that drone on and on and never stop.
A virtual magic show is a unique way to spice up an event, awards ceremony, or celebration. The art of magic is something that most people don’t see very often. I’ve had clients remember magic they saw me do years before.
By booking a virtual magic show for your event, you can grab people’s attention, wake them up, and give them an extremely unique experience that they will remember forever!
INTERACTIVE/ENGAGING - In a time of quarantine, lock-downs, and mandated social-distancing, people are yearning to feel a connection with others. By booking a virtual magic show for your meeting or virtual cocktail party, you are engaging an interactive type of entertainment.
When your guests participate directly in the show, there is a sense of connectedness that only happens when people experience something together. Magic is an extremely interactive art form, and a virtual magic show builds greater community within your group.
FUN - Let’s be honest, the pandemic has made 2020 a very dark and depressing year. The art of magic is uplifting because it shows us that there is incredible possibility in the world that we haven’t considered.
Joy, laughter, and the experience of amazement are the most common responses to magic. A virtual magic show is lighthearted fun in a year that desperately needs it. It is truly a wonderful gift to give your guests.

If you are interested in learning more about my virtual magic show, please watch the video below.

“A demonstration of superb card manipulation.”

— The NY Times

“#BESTZOOMEVER”

— Amy Davis, Tennessee Business Travel Association

“Off the Hook! Jason was the Bomb Dot Com! Jason is your guy for magic!”

— Dave Sassano, Warner Music

“It was both refreshing and relaxing to just sit back and be entertained by a truly ‘Vegas’ quality show.”

— Jim Owens, Prudential

“It is my pleasure to recommend Jason Michaels to you as a terrific magician and entertainer. Jason was engaging with our employees, and we enjoyed not only his talent, but also his sense of humor.”

— Mark Barrett, BancCard

“I would recommend Jason to anyone looking to increase value and excitement to their event. He will not let you or your audience down.”

— -Bruce Gillen, Ameriprise Financial

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR EVENT.

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The Newspaper

November 3, 2020

The Newspaper is a beautiful and classic illusion with an object that used to be as common as anything. With the proliferation of personal devices, a huge number of people now get their daily news from digital sources. That doesn’t take away from how simple and easy to understand this piece of magic is.

What appears to be three minutes of eye candy has much deeper meaning - if you choose to see it. At its magical core, this is the act of destruction and recreation. A common item that everyone is familiar with is destroyed and then, in the blink of an eye, is recreated or restored to itself.

From a philosophical standpoint, this is the act of rebirth - much like a phoenix is recreated from its own ashes. The theme of what is happening, however, is very topical - it is the idea that the news of the day can be manipulated in ways that the common reader may not understand. Heavy stuff, indeed! Or, then again, maybe it’s just a cool trick. That’s up to you to decide!

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Kuwait City, Kuwait

October 20, 2020

Recommended Things to Do:

Kuwait Towers – The Kuwait Towers have a magnificent observation deck where you will have an incredible view of the city.

Al Marsa Restaurant – Al Marsa is an Arabic restaurant with very good food. Expect the full service – from dates at the beginning of the meal to hot tea and coffee at the end, you will enjoy the experience of having a traditional Arabic meal.

Souk Al-Mubarakiya – You could spend a day at this local market soaking in the sights, sounds, and tastes of “the good old days” of Kuwait. Inexpensive shopping and huge variety of things to explore and find.

My Adventure – My team and I arrived in Kuwait on a hot summer night. The locals told us that it had cooled down recently and that 95-100 degrees in the middle of the night felt pleasant. (That gave me mixed feelings about the 122 degrees that I felt the following afternoon!)

We were assigned a group of guys to make sure that we made it to each of our performances over the next few days. I’m told that Kuwait is a very safe country, but after looking at the size of these guys it felt a great deal like we had been assigned a private security detail.

Over the next five days my team of entertainers and I performed several private shows at different locations in the country. Our days were filled with meeting VIPs and entertaining them with sleight of hand and mind reading, and our evenings consisted of staging a 90-minute show of comedy magic, incredible mind reading, and interactive sleight-of-hand. I’m happy to report that all of our shows were massive successes.

When you get a group of professional entertainers together, there is no doubt that we absolutely love entertaining audiences. The sounds of laughter, ‘oohhs and aahhs’, and loud applause fuel our engines, so I would definitely say that the shows were the highlights for us. However, we did have a day set aside for sightseeing, and we had a blast!

We started the day by visiting the Kuwaiti Towers, which gave us incredible views of the city.

We then made our way to the local mall. This place was huge…absolutely huge. We spent a couple of hours looking around and somehow I ended up inside every single watch store that I passed. I decided it would be a great story if I bought a watch in Kuwait. After marveling at Tags and Rolexes, I settled on a Fossil with a special travel kit.

Each member of our team had one or two things in mind that they wanted to do or purchase while we were in Kuwait. That meant that our next stop was at a local market. We were specifically looking for a new travel bag for Michael and some local coffee for Katalina. We found plenty of both!

We finished our day off with an incredible meal at a restaurant called Al Marsa. Part of the fun of travelling to different parts of the world is experiencing the local culture. Al Marsa served us a vary tasty Arab meal with far more than we could ever eat in one sitting. And somehow, I ended up at a table of locals performing a few of my favorite sleight of hand pieces!

Our trip to Kuwait was a blast. Every time I leave the States and visit another country two things happen: my mind is opened up to experience other cultures and appreciate them, and I am reminded just how fortunate I am to call the United States of America my home.

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Blog

Mental Health Awareness

PARTS 1, 2, and 3 of this series are Below.

I’D LIKE TO SEND YOU 3 SHORT VIDEOS TO HELP YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR RESILIENCE ABSOLUTELY FREE!

YES, JASON! PLEASE SEND ME THREE SHORT VIDEOS THAT WILL HELP ME STRENGTHEN MY RESILIENCY AND BETTER DEAL WITH THE OBSTACLES OF LIFE.

Munich, Germany

Learn My Powerful LIVE B-I-G System for Free!

Virtual Magic Show - Cups and Balls Magic

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR virtual EVENT.

London, England

Learn My Powerful LIVE B-I-G System for Free!

Virtual Magic Show - A Perfect Escape from the Pandemic

Why a Virtual Magic show is So Effective:

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR EVENT.

Virtual Magic - Thread of Life

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR EVENT.

48 Hours in Kosovo

LEARN MY POWERFUL LIVE B-I-G SYSTEM FOR FREE!

3 Reasons a Virtual Magic Show is Perfect for Corporate Groups

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SCHEDULE A ZOOM MEETING WITH JASON AND SEE HOW HE WILL BRING THE FUN TO YOUR EVENT.

The Newspaper

LEARN MY POWERFUL LIVE B-I-G SYSTEM FOR FREE!

Kuwait City, Kuwait

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